


At Least I Got To

by thenakednymph



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Dramatic Love Confessions, Drowning, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Language, Love Confessions, M/M, don't worry everyone's fine, klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-07-10 15:44:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19908172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thenakednymph/pseuds/thenakednymph
Summary: Lance is trapped in an underground cavern that's flooding. There's no time to get him out, only to say goodbye.(Spoilers: I like happy endings)





	At Least I Got To

**Author's Note:**

> Depression really, really sucks. Have some angst.  
> ~  
> This was based on art I saw on Instagram forever ago. If I can find it again I'll put a link to it.
> 
> Edit: FOUND IT! https://www.instagram.com/p/BhmCLt8B6Gw/?igshid=xwa31dt868ei

Lance presses a hand against the top of the cavern, kicking his legs to stay afloat. There’s barely a foot of space left between the rising water and the stone above him. It slaps over the shattered visor of his helmet, ice-cold and tasting too much like home, thick with salt. The irony of the boy who grew up on the coast, to become the guardian of water, only to drown isn’t lost on him. A mirthless chuckle ghosts pasts Lance’s lips. 

Another surge of water smacks him in the face and Lance coughs and sputters, his nose burning. He slips below the surface for a moment and surges back up with panic, helmet cracking across the stone as he gives another kick, straining for more space that isn’t there. Water laps at his chin. 

Lance swallows, trying to project as much calm into his voice as he can manage but it’s hard to take anything more than shallow, rapid breaths.

“Guys, it’s filling up fast.” He chokes on the words, voice cracking in spite of his best efforts to keep it level. He spits sea water, head bent back, struggling for air that’s already beginning to thin. “You aren’t going to make it in time.” The realization settles in his stomach like ice and Lance can’t breathe. He’s going to _die._ His pulse is roaring almost as loud as the water filling the room.

Pidge’s voice cuts through the static in his ears. “ _We’re almost there! Lance just hang on,”_ they beg, tears in their voice, “ _hang on, we’re almost there.”_ But it’s already too late and he knows it. Lance can’t hold his breath forever and they’re too far away. There’s almost no space left for him to breathe.

He wedges his foot against a ledge in the stone, using it to press his mouth higher. 

“I don’t want you to hear this,” he gasps. They shouldn’t have to listen to him drown. He wouldn’t wish that on anyone. 

“I love you.” The words come out shallow and rapid as the water laps at his lips. “Tell my mom I’m sorry.” He slaps his fingers against the helmet, severing the connection and drags it off his head. Without it restricting his movements he manages a few more precious lungfuls of air against the wet stone before it’s gone, water filling the room.

~

Red paces in the air over the island, dancing back and forth, as irritable as her paladin. 

_“Tell my mom I’m sorry,”_ Lance says, voice whispered right into Keith’s ear and something in him snaps. 

“No!” He slams the controls forward and Red dives. He’s done waiting. Fuck the integrity of the structure, fuck the rescue party, fuck everything. Lance is _dying_. 

“ _Keith wait!”_

He doesn’t listen. Red opens her mouth, a beam of molten fire striking the island over the collapsing city and stone explodes into the air with a roar. 

_“Keith, he’s still in there!”_ Pidge shouts. “ _You could have killed him!”_

“He’s already dying!” Red spirals into the air, gaining momentum before Keith turns her into a steep dive. She strains against his mind, desperate for more speed as she releases another beam into the island before plummeting head first into the stone like a drill. Metal groans and Keith can hear Red snarl as she claws her way through miles of rock, steam curling into the air around her. 

Keith flicks open his map, Lance’s marker beeping up at him, showing Keith a holographic version of the destruction Red is wreaking on the underground tunnels Lance is trapped in. 

Red breaches the tunnel outside the chamber in moments, swiping one of her massive paws against the blocked door of her own free will as Keith launches himself into the airlock of her mouth. He ejects into the dark once the chamber has sealed and filled with water.

Red’s glowing eyes illuminate his way as he swims for the door. It takes what feels like ages to pry it open, dragged down by the pressure of the water and the fallen rubble pinning it shut. Once he’s inside the first thing he sees is Lance’s helmet resting uselessly against the floor. It’s caught in the slash of light from Keith’s armor, Pidge having installed the flashlights for them. The visor of Lance’s helmet is shattered. 

Keith’s flashlight glances off the white of a greave and he has to swallow back his heart as he sees Lance’s body hanging limp in the water, back still arched. Blind with panic he scrambles forward. 

“Lance! No, no, no, come on. Please don’t let me be too late,” he whispers. “Please.” A steady stream of pleas and curses spill from his mouth as he grabs Lance’s body, dragging him back through the water to Red. Every beat of his heart is too long, is another moment Lance hasn’t drawn breath and Keith has never been so scared. 

Red’s airlock snaps shut but doesn’t fully empty before Keith is ripping off his helmet, clawing at Lance’s armor, making sure he’s laid flat before clearing his airway. 

Lance’s lips are cold and blue as Keith forces air into his lungs, his chest rising, water still draining around them.

“Come on Blue don’t leave me like this.” He counts out the compressions just to hear something in the wretched silence, every song lyric he memorized to maintain rhythm slipping from his mind. 

“Please, Lance.” Tears blind him as he works through the compressions, using his upper body to force Lance’s heart to beat. 

“Come back.” _11, 12, 13..._

“Come back to me.” His arms are beginning to ache. 1 _7,18, 19…_

He has to count out almost two sets of compressions before Lance chokes and Keith shoves him onto his side so he can cough up the water in his lungs, loud and shattering in the silence. None of this feels real. 

Keith can’t shake the feeling that all of this is some terrible nightmare and soon he’s going to wake up and it will all be over. 

Lance drags in the most painful sounding breath Keith has ever heard, shuddering in the water still pooled inside the airlock. He barely has time to comprehend what’s happening before Keith is dragging Lance back around and yanking him into his chest, crying into his hair. 

Something painfully like a wail lodges itself in his throat and Keith wants to scream. Terror grips him through the cold water dripping from Lance as Keith cradles the blue paladin, folded over his limp form as if that alone is enough to protect him.

“I’m sorry,” Keith babbles, blind with tears. “Lance I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he gasps, hands fluttering all over Lance’s back, his shoulders, his hair, never settling in one place for long. 

“I love you,” he rasps. “I love you and I almost didn’t get to tell you and I-” Keith falls apart, sobbing against Lance’s neck, too afraid to let go.

Lance’s hand slowly comes up to touch Keith’s waist. He feels numb and cold all over, his brain fuzzy. It’s not unlike coming out of a cryo-pod and the thought makes him shudder. 

“‘m...I dead?” His voice sounds like it’s been dragged through gravel. 

Keith sits back, swiping a hand over Lance’s face, pushing his hair back and wiping away the water still beaded on his skin. 

“No,” he chokes, and gods that’s such a relief to say. “No, you’re okay.” The words threaten to strangle him and he swallows, gutted by what almost happened; what _did_ happen. Because Lance had died. Keith dragged his body through the water. Lance was _dead_.

“You’re okay.” He sags forward, forehead landing on Lance’s shoulder. Keith’s hand settle over Lance’s heart which flutters but beats strongly under his palm and it’s enough to drag another sob from Keith who tucks his nose against Lance’s throat. 

“You’re okay.” He says it like he can’t believe it, like he’s trying to convince himself this is all real.

After a moment Lance finds the strength to wrap his arms around Keith. One of his hands curls against Keith’s neck, tangling in his hair, trying to draw him closer, savoring the heat of him, trying to chase away the cold.

Lance thought it was over. That he was never going to see Keith again. And then, against the odds, he wakes up and Keith is all he can see. 

Lance’s grip in Keith’s hair goes painful and he cries. 

“ _Fuck_.” His voice shakes and if he had the strength to express his terror he’d be holding Keith hard enough to bruise. He’d nearly died. _Had_ died. But Keith had done something stupid and reckless and brought him back and he’s never been a more complicated mess of grateful and terrified. 

Lance can’t speak past the knot of emotion in his throat so he holds Keith as tight as he can, dragging him into his lap with his weak limbs. Keith scrabbles at Lance’s back as if to pull him impossibly closer, nails dragging through the heavy undersuit. 

They’re both shaking apart, fear shattering every barrier between them, leaving them vulnerable and exposed. It levels the ground under them until there’s nothing left to hide behind and only flat ground to stand on. 

Finally the tears and the sobs subside until they’re both just holding each other, Lance swiping Keith’s hair back away from his face where he’s still hiding. 

“Please,” Keith begs, voice still shattered. “I can’t-” His fingers dig painfully into Lance’s waist. He can’t get the words out so he curls tighter around Lance, trying to make him understand, pressing his thoughts and his feelings into Lance’s waist with his fingers. With or without words Lance thinks he understands. 

After a moment he pulls away and Keith finally lifts his head to look at him.

Lance has never been so relieved to see anyone before in his life. He can’t believe he isn’t dead. 

“I was gonna die,” he rasps, fingers tangling in Keith’s hair, hand cupping his jaw. “I was drowning.   
“Keith I drow-” His voice catches on the word and he can’t say it, breath stuttering. His hand is shaking. “And then you-”

“Shut up,” Keith gasps, surging forward to kiss him and it’s hard with fear, all teeth, nails curling through the fabric of their flight suits, raw with desperation and adrenaline-sour. 

Keith has a hand to Lance’s face when the kiss breaks, mouth working silently to form words, his expression twisting with emotion. 

“Fuck.” His lips tremble against Lance’s as he curses. “You- fuck, Lance.” He drags him into another crushing hug and Lance folds into it, hands stroking over Keith’s waist where he’ll feel it. 

“Hell of a time to tell me,” he teases, voice still scraped raw and Keith’s heart gives a painful lurch. 

“At least I got to.” 

Lance runs a hand over Keith’s hair, breathing him in. He’s never been more grateful for anything and sends up a quick prayer of gratitude. 

“Yeah. At least you got to.”


End file.
